In The Wild
by AdorableBecquerel
Summary: Reluctantly, she brought herself to exit her cave. The chirps of birds and the hum of insects surrounded her. A lush, green forest met her eyes, filled with trees and shrubs of all sorts. Rubbing her eyes, she walked into the shrubbery. This troll's name is Nepeta Leijon, and she is a hunter. Rated T for violence, minor blood, language.
1. Chapter 1: Wake

Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. A small whisper echoed in her head.

...

A female troll finds herself on the floor. The early morning sunlight poured onto her head and face. She cringed from the heat and began to retreat further into the cave, only to be pushed back into the light. A groan seeps through her lips as she rolls around for a while. Purr, purr. The troll slowly opens her eyes to see her adorable lusus smiling its two-mouthed smile. "Oh, good morning, Pounce." she greeted. Gradually, her eyes began adjusting to the harsh light. She stood up, stretching a bit. Looking around, she saw all her belongings that she saw everyday, nothing different, except for maybe a new dead prey from the day's hunt.

Reluctantly, she brought herself to exit her cave. The chirps of birds and the hum of insects surrounded her. A lush, green forest met her eyes, filled with trees and shrubs of all sorts. Rubbing her eyes, she walked into the shrubbery.

This troll's name is Nepeta Leijon, and she is a hunter.

…

A majestic, four-headed mammal stopped by a pool of water for a drink. It dipped its head down and- wait, what the hell was that? A crack of a branch came from a nearby bush. The creature looked closely at the source of the sound. Part of its mind told it to run, part of it was curious to find out what it was.

Slowly, it approached the bush. A few feet away, the drawing of a blade could be heard. Oh sh-

Too late.

…

Nepeta dragged her new prey back to her cave. The three heads hit each other pathetically the whole way there, but the creature could not feel a thing: it had been killed. Three large gashes were present along the necks, the areas damp with blood. One of the heads was barely hanging on, and it would have fallen off, if it weren't for the spine. Wait, where is its fourth head? Eh, doesn't matter. The female troll tossed the body in front of her lusus, and plopped down next to it. "Eat up!" Nepeta said cheerily. Her guardian ripped a chunk of flesh off and proceeded to chew it.

Okay, today's the day you ask him. No more scaredy cat. For some extra confidence, she ripped some meat off of the day's catch. Stuffing the meat in her mouth, she leaned over and grabbed her computer lying on the floor a few feet away. Quietly chewing, she opened up Trollian. Her eyes scanned her friend list, and found who she was looking for. Her hand trembling, she finally brought herself to click on the icon.

arsenicCatnip (AC) started trolling carcinoGeneticist (CG)

AC: :33 *nervously meows*

CG: WHAT IS IT NEPETA?

AC: :33 um

AC: :33 uh

CG: COME ON, DAMMIT! SPIT IT OUT!

Her nerves got the best of her. Nepeta spat out the piece of meat she was chewing several feet away.

"..." The female troll mentally double face-palmed herself. (FACEPALM X2 COMBO!)

AC: :33 um

AC: :33 well

AC: :33 there is something in pawrticular that i wanted to ask you…

AC: :33 fur a long time now

AC: :33 uh

CG: AND?

CG: COME ON. I DON'T HAVE ALL DAMN DAY.

AC: :33 oh of course!

AC: :33 i

AC: :33 i

AC: :33 um

CG: HOLY. FRICKING. JEGUS.

CG: JUST. SPIT. IT. OUT.

CG: STOP BEING A SHRIMPY WRIGGLER IN A BUCKET!

AC: :33 I LOVE YOU!

AC: :33 …

CG: WHAT.

AC: :33 *shifts uncomfurtably*

AC: :33 um

AC: :33 nothing

AC: :33 i'll talk to you later, karkat

arsenicCatnip (AC) ceased trolling carcinoGeneticist (CG)

CG: WAIT, NEPETA!

CG: DAMMIT.

Nepeta stared blankly at her computer screen. What the hell did I just say? She collapsed onto her white lusus. "I'm so stupid…" The troll quietly began sobbing on Pounce's white fur, staining it olive green from her tears.

…

Elsewhere…

"Gog dammit." He knew this would happen. Why didn't he say anything first? Of course, the *brave, courageous* leader was too afraid about what consequences might occur, should he ask first. He slammed his forehead down on the table in frustration, proceeding to repeat. Dammit, dammit, DAMMIT!

A hand placed itself on the troll's shoulder, causing him to stop. He looked up to the person it belonged to. "Oh, hey, Sollux." the troll using the computer greeted. His friend's red and blue shades glimmered in the light.

"Don't tell me you're goiing iinthane on thiith thtupiid rock too." Sollux's expression turned into yet deeper frown than the one he wore just earlier. "Come on Karkat, iif you keep hiittiing your head on the table, you miight ath well joiin that clown Gamzee iin hiith horn piile."

"No, I'm not going insane, not yet anyway," Karkat said in reply. Sollux's frown flipped to a small grin. "...and NO. WAY. IN. FRICKING. HELL. am I ever joining that sick psychopath on his stupid horn pile. I don't even see why the hell he even keeps them in a huge pile in the middle of the walkway. I mean REA-" Sollux raised his hand to silence Karkat.

"Juth go viithiit her. You probably owe her that much, at the very leatht." Sollux paused a little, exhaling a puff of air. "Ii could tell you were alwayth tiiptoeiing around the thubject of red romanth wiith Nepeta. Hell, everybody thaw iit but the giirl herthelf. Iit would be better iif you thraitened thingth out in perthon. Now go."

Looking back down, Karkat furrowed his brows. He's right, it isn't fair to Nepeta to always be avoiding the subject. It's time to be a true brave leader. "Yeah, I guess you're right, Sollux. I'm gonna head out right now. See you later." The troll stood up, grabbed a coat and hat from his hat rack and set out.

Now that's more like it, Sollux said to himself. Two arms wrapped around his waist gently. "Hey, Feferi."

"So, is he actually going to do it?" The highblood asked.

"Yeah, and iit'th about tiime."


	2. Chapter 2: A Visitor

A/N: Chapter 2 is now up! Enjoy!

/

After miles of walking, he had finally found what he was looking for. A cave, not just any, but hers. It was time to face it, once and for all.

…

As he neared the mouth of the cave, distant sobbing could be heard from within. The stranger's rough expression softened. Slowly and quietly, he walked in.

…

How deep is this cave? As he neared a lighted area up ahead, the weeping had turned to gentle, deep breathing. I fricking swear, if this is the WRONG GOGDAMN CAVE, I am going to LOSE IT! Reaching a pocket of the cave within the lighted area, he had reached her room. She was sleeping, and obviously the source of the crying: her white lusus' fur had been stained with a light liquid bearing the same color as her blood.

Something shifted. Oh, sh-

Too late.

…

The deadly white, cat-like lusus opened its eyes, blinked and looked straight at the intruder. Its pupils dilated to slits and its fur stood up on end. Gently getting up, ensuring the female troll would not be awakened, it shook the grasps of sleep away. Slowly, the white lusus exposed its claws, and started approaching the stranger. Oh frick.

A flash of white was the last thing he saw.

…

Darkness. Just darkness.

He felt a tug at the back of his collar and being lifted off the ground. It was a temporary feeling, as he was dropped back down, onto the cave floor. Hard. Groaning, he rolled around on the ground in pain. As soon as he rolled right side up, another body pinned him down. This new body had been placed gently upon him, as though his assailant cared for this second being. The warmth the new body provided caused the stranger to hold on endearingly to the other.

As soon as he grabbed a hold, the warm body mumbled something. What? What was that? "...sldkfjhgeonv…" More jumbled speech. "...mmm…" Hmmm? What's that? In a quiet voice, it spoke a single word. A name. Actually, it was the intruder's name.

...

His name was Karkat Vantas, and he had some issues to resolve here.

…

After a few moments of tender embrace, Karkat lightly placed the warm body on the floor and stood up. Gog damn, am I blind now? Blindly waving his hands in the air, he felt around, and a little frustrated with his new handicap. How the hell does Terezi get around? All of sudden, he felt a warm, furry object. Oh, how nice. … Wait. Oh sh-

The troll was sent flying backwards, slamming into the wall with a hard impact. "Ugh… not again." Getting onto his hands and knees, Karkat waited for it to get silent before moving forward. As soon as it did, he made a mad crawl in the direction he was facing. Turning his head backward, he checked for any more sound. Nothing. Returning his attention forward, he was met with a face (and mouth) full of hair.

"*Cough, cough* Aw, DAMMIT!" And, once again, he was thrust back into the wall. Hitting his head against a rather large rock, he blacked out.

…

Nepeta thought her face felt sticky. Oh, that's right. Karkat. Sobbing a little bit more, she curled up into a ball on the ground of her cave.

"Owww…"

She froze. What was that? A loud, but low, thud echoed in the cave. Slowly, she sat up. Wiping away her tears, her eyes met quite a surprise: her flushed crush was lying on the floor of her cave… and, blindfolded? Nepeta looked over to Pounce, but her white lusus looked away from her gaze. Slightly frowning, she returned her attention to Karkat, who was currently unconscious and blindfolded in her room.

The back of his shirt was shredded, and both the wall as well as Pounce's paw had incriminating blood on them. Looking closer, she gasped as she saw some bruises and cuts along his exposed back. Lightly gliding her fingers along the cuts, it pained her to see Karkat in such poor condition.

Turning back to her lusus, she yelled: "BAD POUNCE! GO IN THE CORNER!". The cat-like creature just grinned with its two mouths and did as she commanded. What is with that cat?, she wondered. Nepeta crawled over to her "bedroom" section of the room and grabbed a small bag. Bringing it over by Karkat, the female set the bag down. Oh, frick. To get administer first aid, it would seem she would need to take his shirt off. Her face started to become heated and her cheeks olive green. Awkwardly, Nepeta propped Karkat onto his side and started to pull his shirt over his body.

About halfway to getting the clothing off, the male troll began to stir. Startled, she gave a small squeak, promptly slamming one hand over her mouth, her eyes wide with fear. After some shifting, the body returned to its motionless state. With a great sigh, she returned to her task. Eventually she managed to get the shirt off and placed it off to the side, her face still hot and blushing, nonetheless.

Now that that was out of the way, she grabbed the small bag again and opened it up. It was her medicine kit. Within it were simple first aid supplies, with a few basic herbal concoctions she made with plants she gathered. Carefully, the troll brought out a bowl sealed with animal hide, and set the bag back down. The troll unsealed it, revealing a dark green paste. To check its freshness, she took a whiff. It had a pungent smell, as it was made of heavily scented, yet effective, plants she found. Nepeta stuck in her index and middle fingers up to the second joint and started to mix it. Over time, the paste had begun to shift from a dark, forest green to a lighter emerald green. As the color hit emerald, she stopped mixing and proceeded to rub it on the injured troll's back. At first contact, a quiet hissing sound resulted, as the medicine began to take effect. As a reply, Karkat groaned from the slight pain as his wounds started healing. "Sh, sh, shhh…", Nepeta hushed, gently papping his back. After about a minute, both the hissing and groaning died down. Once more, she reached inside the bag and pulled out a small cloth. Wiping off any excess paste, Karkat's back was now only spotted with tiny scars. Tossing the, now green, cloth on the side, she took hold of his hand with both of hers, slipping her fingers between his.

Eventually, grasps of sleep began to take a hold of her. Slumping onto the ground next to Karkat, she fell unconscious, fingers still entwined.

…

After several hours, the hunter woke up to the crackling of a fire. She looked towards her lusus, who was still grinning its two-mouthed grin. Smiling back, she turned over to her other side.

Suddenly, her smile dropped, her mouth opened slightly in horror. Her eyes met another set, a pair just as widened.

It was Karkat's, and he was wide awake.

A/N: If there is anyone wondering why Jade is listed as a main character, I've got the answer. As the story develops, Jade will be included, but it'll have to wait until perhaps the next chapter or so.

'Til then.


	3. Chapter 3: Confessions

A/N: Wow, okay. I guess it's been a while. Things were pretty swamped up lately. At least Spring Break is next week, so I'll have time to write.

I've been looking over the story so far, and I thought: "What the hell. Everything sounds so fricking cheesy and out of character."

Ah well, I guess that happens sometimes. Anyway, Chapter 3: Confessions.

...

Frozen in fear, Nepeta laid still, looking straight back into Karkat's eyes. Slowly, he sat up. "Um… hey, Nepeta? Nepeta? Can you hear me?" Karkat asked, slightly shaking her hand. The female troll just stayed in her trance, still keeping eye contact, however.

After several minutes of no response, the hunter snapped back to reality. "Uh… um…" Sitting up, Nepeta pulled her hat off, hiding her embarrassment with her slightly unkempt hair. "I… uh… well…" She was trying the best she could to avoid his gaze. "Well, you see… uh, Pounce… well, he uh… was trying to… um, keep you here… I guess, when you walked in, apparently… and, well… you were hurt really bad and… I had to… sdlkjfsdlk…" The last few words came out as jumbled nonsense. "I'm sorry if me and Pounce inconvenienced you." The last sentence barely came out as a whisper.

She could feel tears brimming her eyes, but she hid them well with her hair. "You're free to go any time you wa-" The troll was cut off by two arms embracing her.

"I'm sorry, Nepeta. This is all my fault."

Her eyes opened wide in shock. What?

"I knew you had red feelings for me, for a long time now. Every time I saw you, I thought about talking it over, but I couldn't. Equius was always with you. He'd break my arm if I tried to talk to you, with his stupid high-blood, low-blood beliefs. Even when I did have the opportunity to talk to you, I was too afraid. Too afraid of the consequences. Too afraid of the unknown. As the leader of our group, it should be my job to be the bravest of us all."

"And I failed at that."

Nepeta could feel her coat and shirt become soaked. Karkat had become so overcome with emotions that he had broken down to tears, like her. Holding on to her even tighter, his tears began to flow even more continuously. The male troll had started to quietly sob, unintelligible noises escaping from his mouth. After several moments of silence, besides Karkat's crying, Nepeta wrapped her arms around him, returning the embrace.

"Sh, sh… it's okay," she assured him, gently patting his back. This action had not stopped the tears: if anything, brought more to his eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Nepeta." Karkat blubbered.

"It's alright, it's okay."

…

About an hour or two had passed, and Karkat had fallen asleep, head upon the female troll's lap. Gently caressing his face, Nepeta looked upwards through an opening in the roof of her cave.

Above laid the endless night sky, with its vast amount of stars, dotted like white paint against a black canvas. The calming moonlight shone partially through the hole, bringing light and casting shadows into her room. It soothed her, as did Pounce's quiet purring that she heard every night.

Tonight felt no different than any other: her lusus slept in the corner, making subtle noises that helped her feel at ease.

Unlike every other night, however, she felt a little less alone. She was spending the night with her new matesprit. Her new matesprit that she would protect.

At all costs.

...

Elsewhere...

A human girl opened her eyes, greeted with the harsh sunlight flooding her room. Rubbing her eyes, she climbed out of bed.

Walking over by her desk, she picked up her laptop and dropped down onto a pile of Squiddle plushies. Opening up the computer, she powered it on and watched the loading screen.

-Loading-

-Loading-

-Please enter your password-

With haste, she typed it in. The screen showed a "Welcome" banner, then displayed a confusing mass of colors and rotating shapes.

Dragging the mouse over to an icon, she opened up Pesterlog.

...

A/N: Sorry for that cheesy line earlier. I'm just thinking that this whole story is like a movie.

Unfortunately, it happens to have an awful one-liner.

Apologies for the short chapter, so I'll have Chapter 4 up soon.

Until next time,

~ATJKU


	4. Chapter 4: The Eclectic Hunter

A/N: I told you I'd have it up. I TOLD you dog!

Just kidding. Anyway, Chapter 4: The Eclectic Hunter.

ectoBiologist (EB) began pestering gardenGnostic (GG)

EB: hey, jade?

EB: you there?

GG: sorry john!

GG: i was about to leave for a good old-fashioned hunt! :)

GG: so you'll have to make it quick!

EB: oh, okay.

EB: do you know what's the deal with these internet trolls?

EB: they're really irritating.

GG: ugh... no

GG: and frankly, i don't care really. :(

GG: i have to go, sorry john!

EB: aw okay, bye jade.

gardenGnostic (GG) ceased pestering ectoBiologist (EB)

A girl stood up from her pile of plushes, promptly shutting off her computer. Nearby, her hunting rifle leaned against the wall. Grabbing onto it, as well as a pair of goggles, she walked over to her transportalizer. As she stepped on, there was a flash of green and the teen found herself in a different room, one cluttered with random objects.

A fire quietly crackled a few feet away. As she approached it, she saw her stuffed grandfather's corpse, smiling grandly at nothing in particular. Fondly regarding her deceased guardian, she continued on past him, towards the door. Reaching for the door handle, there was another green flash, and the girl ran into a mass of flesh.

A large white dog appeared in front of her path.

Frowning, the girl greeted the dog: "Oh. Hey, Bec!" The dog did not flinch. "I was just going for a hunt! No biggie, really! I won't be gone long!" She tried to squeeze past him towards the door, but Bec just blocked her. "Ugh, okay. Here: I'll give you a radiated steak if you let me go hunt.." Quickly retrieving the meat from her sylladex, she sent it towards him. Catching the steak in his mouth, Bec happily chewed it.

Green energy soon surged around them both, and the girl yet again found herself in a new place.

This time it was a lush green forest.

Dawn had just begun to break, a palette of colors painting the sky. The sun's rays lit up the tip of mountains, brightening up the white, snow caps on top. A chorus of birds chirped distantly and insects started to buzz. Gripping onto her rifle, she walked forth.

This girl's name is Jade Harley, and she is a hunter.

…

After several hours past the break of dawn, the girl stopped to take a rest. Sitting down on a sturdy log, she placed down her catch: mostly small game. Using a nearby stream, she washed her dirtied hands and face. She dipped a washcloth into the water and started to clean her rifle. Once she finished, Jade started squeezing out the excess water from the cloth, liquid dripping down onto the green grass.

A deep bellow sounded from far within the forest. With a grin, she gathered her belongings together and headed into the thicker area of the woods.

…

A hoofbeast slowed its brisk run into a gentle gallop, and down to a halt. Stopping at the riverbank, it dipped down to take a drink. Lapping up the water, it felt the cool liquid ran down its throat.

_Click_.

It froze. Whipping its head up, its eyes darted left to right searching for the source of the sound. A small squirrel-like creature scurried out of a nearby bush. With a snort, it dipped its head down to-

_Bang_.

The large hoofbeast fell heavily onto the bank. Its blood leaked down into the river, staining the water pink.

From nearby, Jade emerged from the bushes, clearing her rifle's chamber of the empty round. The casing fell with a clank, hitting a small pebble on the ground. Bending over to grab her prey, she hoisted it up onto her shoulder. Walking back the way she came, the girl-

_Rustle, rustle_.

Immediately, Jade dropped her hunt and brought up her rifle, scanning the shrubbery. Getting down on her knee, she moved the large animal in front of her as a small barrier, just the barrel of her gun poking out above the carcass. The teen loaded the next bullet of her clip with a _click_.

Whatever it is out there, it meant she was not alone.

…

Hours earlier…

Nepeta found herself slumped against a wall, with no sign of Karkat. Walking towards the entrance of her cave, she found him sitting down and staring out into the distance, lost in thought. Quietly approaching behind him, she wrapped her arms around his waist, poking her head beneath his arm. Karkat blinked out of his trance and looked towards his matesprit with a slight grin. "Good morning." The female troll smiled back in response.

"Hey! Hey! Hey! We should go hunting together! Wouldn't that be fun?" Nepeta asked excitedly, her tail moving back and forth.

The male troll frowned. "I don't know… Hell, it sounds fricking _dangerous_ for someone with little experience. For example, me."

"Come on! It'll be fun! Just one hunt!" She started poking his sides playfully.

"Oh my gog, fine! One hunt, right?"

"One."

"Okay then. Let's go." Karkat said, standing up.

_Bang._

_Bang._

_Bang._

"Uh… what was that?"

Nepeta gave him a playful shove. "Well, why don't we go check it out?" Taking lead, she strolled into the trees.

"..."

"Damn it."

…

The two found themselves on a pleasant walk through the forest, stopping and taking in the sights. Earlier, they stopped by a small stream and watched small fishes swim by. Nepeta tried to grab a bigger one, but she cringed every time she touched the water. Karkat had just laughed and playfully pushed her closer to the water.

Unfortunately, the result was Karkat ending up covered with scratches and Nepeta soaked thoroughly.

After sitting in the sun (much to their displeasure) to dry off, the couple continued on their hunt.

…

"Sh, sh, sh. Okay Karkat, over here. Be really quiet." the female troll beckoned. Ahead was a hoofbeast, its mane blowing in the breeze. It brought its head down to drink water.

"Okay, ready your sickle. We're going to flank it. I'll go _this_ way-" she explained, pointing to bushes left of the creature. "-and you go _that_ way-" pointing to the opposite side. With a nod, the two went their separate ways. Once she got to her spot, Nepeta peeked over the edge of the bush, looking for Karkat. She tracked his head over the top of the shrubbery, bobbing up and down. Finally, he too had reached his spot. Putting up three fingers, she counted down, physically and mentally.

_Three_. She set her feet steady.

_Two_. She brought out her silver-blue claws.

_One_- _Bang_.

Nepeta fell over, startled by the noise. It seemed her matesprit jumped too: rubbing his head under a low-lying branch.

Looking at the prey again, it was bleeding through a small puncture wound on its chest, its blood seeping into the dirt and stream.

…

_Bang_. Karkat suddenly stood up and hit his head on a solid branch. His skull started to ache, rubbing a small bump left on top. Looking towards Nepeta, she was looking at the hoofbeast, which now laid bleeding on the riverbank.

_Bzzz_.

The troll looked around.

_Bzzzzzzz_.

A small stingerbeast was flying around, dangerously close to his head. Swatting at it, he seemed to have driven it away.

At least, that's what he thought.

Until it landed on his nose.

OH SH-

…

Nepeta watched, utterly confused (and a little amused), at Karkat freaking out across the clearing. The male troll was waving his arms around like a madman, yet not making any sort of sound. Presumably, the only screaming that was happening was going on in his head.

She laughed quietly, though she quickly stifled it.

Unfortunately, his actions caused him to trip and crush a bush, making a loud rustling.

The hunter's mouth dropped open, horrified.

_Click_.

Things might have just taken a turn for the worst.

...

A/N: I'd like to thank all the people who inspired me to continue this story so far.

Thanks to the reviewers:

-Dr4g0ngiirl

-Dragongirl (who I have a feeling are the same person, but changed writer name)

-Guest

Your reviews were very nice and thoughtful. Even the vague "Moar", whatever that means.

I'll keep updating.

P.S.: Perhaps a certain Seer would help me expand the story's dynamics, hmm TZ?

P.P.S.: By the way, the line, "Unfortunately, the result was Karkat ending up covered with scratches and Nepeta soaked thoroughly." had no innuendos at all.

AT.

ALL.

NONE WHATSOEVER TO IMPLY BUCKET FILLING OR OTHERWISE RELATED ACTIVITY.

Until next time,

~ATJKU


End file.
